ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ANKARA 005927 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR INR/R/MR, EUR/SE, EUR/PD, NEA/PD, DRL JCS PASS J-5/CDR S. WRIGHT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC KMDR TU SUBJECT: ANKARA MEDIA REACTION REPORT FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2006 In Today's Papers French Parliament Adopts Armenian 'Genocide' Bill All papers report the French Parliament adopted on Thursday a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered 'genocide' at the hands of Ottoman Turks before and after World Wa I. The French move is widely seen as a playfor Armenian diaspora votes in next year's prsidential election. Under headlines such as 'Hostile Decision' and 'A Genocide of Thought,' Turkish papers regard the decision as running counter to democracy and history, dealing a blow to free speech. 'Turkey will not forget this,' said an angry Foreign Minister Gul, adding the Turkish Parliament would hold an extraordinary session October 17 to discuss the decision. Turkish Foreign Ministry (MFA) said on Thursday that adoption of the draft had been a heavy blow on bilateral ties. "Today, long-standing Turkey-France relations have suffered a heavy blow due to irresponsible initiatives by French politicians who are not able to predict the consequences of their policies," said the MFA in a statement. Turkey's chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan told the Brussels think-tank Friends of Europe that it would be harder to push for greater freedom in Turkey when free speech was being restricted in a founding member of the EU, known to be a homeland of liberty. Responding to a question, Babacan said the Turkish government would not organize an economic boycott of French-made commodities in Turkey. 'On the other hand, it is up to individuals in our country if they want to do something like that,' Babacan stated. All papers highlight that business groups in Turkey are preparing for a boycott of French goods. Papers recall that in a past crisis with Italy, a three-year boycott of Italian products in Turkey had resulted in Euro 1.2 billion losses for Italian businesses. A delegation of the main opposition party CHP attending the French parliamentary debate over the draft reacted strongly by saying that the French lawmakers had expressed their 'centuries-long resentment' of Turkey. 'They put Ottoman history on trial. We call on our government to show an adequate reaction,' maintained Haluk Koc, the head of the CHP delegation. The European Commission condemned the French parliament vote, saying the move is likely to hinder open dialogue between Armenia and EU aspirant Turkey. European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn warned that it would bring 'disastrous' consequences if the upper house of French Parliament passes the bill and it becomes law. The Patriarch of the Armenians in Turkey, Mesrob II, said the resolution will strengthen the hands of not only Turkish but also Armenian nationalists and racists. 'This resolution adopted by the French Parliament is anti-democratic because it limits personal freedom of expression,' said Mesrob II. Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink said he would travel to France in a deliberate act to violate the bill. 'Turkey must retain its cool, and not slow down the process of democratization,' Dink said. Several papers quote State Department Sean McCormack as saying in response to a question about the French resolution that 'the US has its own views' on the issue. 'We've talked about them before. We issue usually an annual statement on the topic. I don't have anything to add to that statement,' said McCormack. Ergun Babahan acknowledges in the mass appeal Sabah that Armenians who lived in Anatolia for thousands of years faced unacceptable trouble during World War I. "We should accept the incidents of history openly and should allow investigations and debates on these issues to happen freely. Unfortunately, with the French Parliament's decision, it became impossible to hold this stance. If a controversial issue is accepted as fact by laws and defending it declared as crime, then, there is a fascistic stance. Therefore, the French stance is a fascistic one. There is a great benefit for the supporters of Article 301 to evaluate the whole issue from this ANKARA 00005927 002 OF 004 angle. Because, following the French decision, article 301 supporters will realize what a wrong and ugly act it is to make freedom of expression as a crime. Of course, Turkey will react to the French decision, but the only important thing is not to fall into traps, and to block the efforts of Sarkozy and his team to distract us from the path to EU. The impact of the French parliament's decision will do nothing more than damage the relations between Turkey and Armenia." Haluk Sahin of the intellectual-liberal Radikal feels sad that the French decision on Armenian genocide comes from a country that 'Turkey, for years, held up as an example and showed such special consideration that we opposed brother Algeria's independence.' "In the past, France knew so well how to deal with an undemocratic Turkey, but, now, a democratic, productive and wise Turkey, open to all kinds of discussions, continues on the EU path with concrete steps. And this worries France. Only about an hour after the annoying news came from France, Turkey was thrilled with the news about Orhan Pamuk's Nobel Prize. From now on, Turkey will be called as 'Orhan Pamuk's country' and the entire world will turn more careful eyes towards Turkey. Orhan Pamuk became Turkey's great honor by deeply evaluating Turkey, Istanbul and life. Never mind the nonsense in France; let us be proud of Pamuk". Ralston Meets with Gul All papers: US Special Envoy for Countering the PKK Retired -General Joseph Ralston, accompanied by his Turkish counterpart Edip Baser, met yesterday with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. Gul warned Ralston not to stall the fight against PKK terrorism. Gul stressed that Ralston would be successful 'despite all difficulties.' Ralston said at a joint press conference with Baser after the meeting that a ceasefire was not enough, and that it was necessary for the PKK to renounce the violence it has been pursuing. Papers quote Ralston as saying that the PKK declaration of ceasefire had been a 'positive first step.' Ralston also said the option of military action against the PKK was on the table as a 'last resort,' but that it might be called if necessary. Orhan Pamuk Awarded Nobel Literature Prize All papers give extensive front page coverage to Nobel Prize for literature being awarded to novelist Orhan Pamuk, the first Turkish writer to receive it. 'Orhan Pamuk, respected around the world with his novels translated into 45 languages, has become Turkey's pride,' says Radikal. The Swedish Academy said Pamuk had been given the award because 'in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city Istanbul, he has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures.' Several papers and commentaries welcome the award, saying 'the 2006 Literature Nobel is ours.' Some others, however, debate whether the award was 'political,' that it was given for Pamuk's statements with regard to the Armenian genocide and not for his writing. Pamuk caused an uproar when he told a Swiss newspaper last year that nobody in Turkey dared mention what he called the killing of a million Armenians by Ottoman Turks or of 30,000 Kurds in recent years. A case was brought against him for 'insulting the Turkish identity.' Pamuk, born in Istanbul in 1952, was a visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York from 1985-88, during which he was also a visiting fellow at the University of Iowa. Some of his works are The Silent House-1984, The White Castle-1985, Black Book-1990, New Life-1995, My Name is Red-2000, Snow-2002. Turkish Parliament Sets Election Date for November 2007 Hurriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Cumhuriyet, Zaman and others report the ruling AKP and opposition parties CHP and ANAP in the parliament approved a law setting the general elections for November 4 next year. Lawmakers also approved reducing the minimum age for running for parliament to 25 from 30, opening the way for 6 million potential candidates. ANKARA 00005927 003 OF 004 Turkish Cyprus to Hold 'Toros' Exercises in Retaliation to 'Nikiforos' Cumhuriyet reports Turkish Cyprus 'foreign ministry' said in a statement the Greek Cypriots held on October 10-15 their 'Nikiforos' military exercise, violating a 2001 accord with the Turkish side for suspending military games. The statement said Turks would hold on November 7-9 'Toros' exercises in retaliation. Gul to Visit Athens in November Radikal reports Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is to visit Athens in the second half of November, quoting the Greek foreign ministry as saying they were trying to confirm a date with the Turkish side. US Businessmen Due to Visit Turkey Cumhuriyet cites a Turkish-American Businessmen's Association (TABA-AmCham) statement announcing a large delegation of businessmen from US trade chambers will visit Turkey in November for talks with business representatives in Istanbul and Ankara. The statement said US companies have long been eager to make a reality some projects which have been waiting for years. TV Highlights NTV (8 a.m.) Domestic News - A Turkish contingent of 260 soldiers to join UNIFIL went to the Mediterranean port city of Mersin yesterday to depart for Lebanon on October 19. - The Kurdish party DTP deputy chairperson Aysel Tugluk said her party would work for making the cease-fire declared by the PKK last, saying they would hold meetings with the organization if necessary. - Turkish security forces killed three PKK militants in the province of Sirnak in southeast Turkey during their biggest military offensive since the organization announced a unilateral ceasefire, the governor's office in the province near the border with Iraq said. - International investment bank Lehman Brothers is to open representation in Turkey. International News - UN Security Council members have failed to agree on sanctions on North Korea for its claimed nuclear test. - Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal rejected responsibility for the kidnapping of Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit in Gaza in June, but said he was proud of those who conducted the abduction. - Israeli forces killed five Palestinians, one of them a child, during a raid on Gaza Strip. - Britain's foreign secretary Margaret Beckett said the Guantanamo Bay detention center is 'unacceptable in terms of human rights' and 'ineffective in terms of counter-terrorism'. - President Bush dismissed as 'not credible' a Lancet survey suggesting that 655,000 Iraqis have been killed since the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ ANKARA 00005927 004 OF 004 WILSON